Potential new hunter pets in WoD

[Wain]

This one has a cool look. It's the wild red chimaera/rylak but with the skyreaver armour on it, which stays when it's tamed! The creature is a Twinbreath Skystalker. Now a Twinbreath Groundhopper, I guess. But quite a cool look:

[Equeon]

Yeah, I was looking at the animation in model-viewer earlier, and thought it looked kind of awkward. I feel it will especially look more pathetic the longer it goes on for... I mean, naturally, the rylaks would only be on the ground for so long...
It looks fine for a transition between "roosting" and "taking off" but just bizarre to be constantly flopping around after the Hunter.

If Blizzard really wants to convince us that the Rylaks are worthy of their own pet family, the least they can do is give us a way to switch between flying/walking animations. Or maybe the Rylak goes to the grounded state after player is still for a while or using the walk key.

[Vephriel]

Haha, I actually really like the ground animations for them, remind me of a bat hopping around. It would be nice if they let it fly every now and then though, if there was some way to program a random transition in.

[Qraljar]

Haha, I actually really like the ground animations for them, remind me of a bat hopping around. It would be nice if they let it fly every now and then though, if there was some way to program a random transition in.

I like the ground animations too, but given that they are basically a form of Chimera, which are flying-based, and have huge, functional wings, it'd be odd to see them walking or running 24/7. Also, I hope they eventually create walking and running animations for bats, too.



Either way, they should add an aesthetic ability (akin to trick) to Rylaks and other pets that have both flying and ground animations. They can easily do it. Give it to the new Ravagers (it would be non-functional on the old model), rylaks, and if they ever become tameable: pterrorwings, kunchong and dread ravens, and of course all other models that could logically transition.


It would be so easy to do, and would add so much that it would be almost criminal not to do it.

[Arthur]

Hey guys, Ghost wolf currently has a new model~ (With the spectral glyph)


It *almost* seems like it could of been this guy, with spectral effects:
http://wow-petopia.com/images/skin_pix/ ... shadow.jpg

And here is the video if anyone else wants to take a peek (It's actually for the race quests but you can see it in the start)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsOuX06C6sA it's in the very beginning after the wowhead logo intro.

Sorry it's not about pets but there doesn't seem to be a general WoD alpha thread yet
And if it's old news please forgive me!

[Bulletdance]

Thanks Wain and all those in alpha putting out these screenies. It's exciting to see the new pets. I hope those roaches become tameable. I couldn't eat and use that pet at the same time, but I still want one >_<

[Wain]

Thanks Wain and all those in alpha putting out these screenies. It's exciting to see the new pets. I hope those roaches become tameable. I couldn't eat and use that pet at the same time, but I still want one >_<

Oh the one in the database that is a sandreaver model?

I haven't come across that one, but I did check a couple of older sandreavers and neither is tameable yet. No python mode snakes I've seen so far have been listed as tameable yet either. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything as it's early Alpha (I keep repeating that like a mantra, don't I? )

I've started checking out Pandaria beasts that were previously too high to tame and updating their status in the OP. Anything marked with a green "TAMEABLE" flag has definitely been tamed now. I still have a bunch to go, but of interest:
- Cracklefang loses his sword on taming. It's not really unexpected, but people have wondered this for ages
- Monstrous Spineclaw has been elusive, but I can't wait to test this one. Love the colour
- it really does look like the three quilen bosses in Mogu'shan Vaults will be tameable, but they're still saying too high level for me at 92. 92 is apparently the max. level we can reach right now and I'm not sure what the true level of those bosses is. The trash before them (grey stone quilen) is def. tameable.
- watching a towering Primal Devilsaur rush towards you and suddenly be a meek and tiny tamed one is hilarious to experience

Also, finally managed to find and tame Trigore outside Wailing Caverns, literally 4-5 seconds before the server rebooted. So the last "normal" old hydra has been confirmed. Spirit of Atha check will have to wait until one of us can do the Oracles quests so we can summon it. Chimaeron will depend on whether the raid has been adjusted for the stat squish or is currently lethal, we haven't checked yet.

[Wain]

I just want to add that the rylak ground animation isn't bad at walking speed, just as Vephriel pointed out about the bat. But at high speed it starts to look increasingly absurd. Like a bat that refuses to fly but instead leaps along the ground. It feels a bit damaged. In combat it also feels a bit weird as the animations make it look like it's straining to lift itself off the ground to reach the target for biting.

[Ickabob]

So are the plant hydras tameable, since they're currently beasts?

[pop]

This is an old novel idea, why can't Pterrorwings become the new exotic beast family instead of Rylak? Wain, can you suggest that to the dev?

[SylviaDragon]

This is an old novel idea, why can't Pterrorwings become the new exotic beast family instead of Rylak? Wain, can you suggest that to the dev?

^ I would support this 100% (That or the feathered raptors. hah! ) But the ptrerrorwings have the old models and the new wod ones to work with, lots of colors and both a flying and running variation. we have already seen the newer models work out well as troll pets and if we can tame a devilsaur and a triceratops then these guys shouldn't be a problem either. Not to mention hunters have been asking for them forever, the animations are smooth and most of all it is a new family that wont make us feel like we were cheated out of a third new pet.

I like the *not* chimeras but I'm still not seeing them as a new family. I LOVE the walking animation. I am a huge fan of the way bats move on the ground. After seeing the running animations on the mount however I cant help but agree it looks sad and silly. I do like the armored one you tamed though. we don't see many hunter pets with armor.

[Bulletdance]

Oh the one in the database that is a sandreaver model?

I haven't come across that one, but I did check a couple of older sandreavers and neither is tameable yet. No python mode snakes I've seen so far have been listed as tameable yet either. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything as it's early Alpha (I keep repeating that like a mantra, don't I? )

I've started checking out Pandaria beasts that were previously too high to tame and updating their status in the OP. Anything marked with a green "TAMEABLE" flag has definitely been tamed now. I still have a bunch to go, but of interest:
- Cracklefang loses his sword on taming. It's not really unexpected, but people have wondered this for ages
- Monstrous Spineclaw has been elusive, but I can't wait to test this one. Love the colour
- it really does look like the three quilen bosses in Mogu'shan Vaults will be tameable, but they're still saying too high level for me at 92. 92 is apparently the max. level we can reach right now and I'm not sure what the true level of those bosses is. The trash before them (grey stone quilen) is def. tameable.
- watching a towering Primal Devilsaur rush towards you and suddenly be a meek and tiny tamed one is hilarious to experience

Also, finally managed to find and tame Trigore outside Wailing Caverns, literally 4-5 seconds before the server rebooted. So the last "normal" old hydra has been confirmed. Spirit of Atha check will have to wait until one of us can do the Oracles quests so we can summon it. Chimaeron will depend on whether the raid has been adjusted for the stat squish or is currently lethal, we haven't checked yet.

Whatever this is.

I want to send it at my enemies and cackle. It's so horrifying it's almost adorable.

[Chaix]

thanks for checking cracklefang Wain. shame about the sword but it's early alpha right?

[Thanøs]

Thanks Wain and all those in alpha putting out these screenies. It's exciting to see the new pets. I hope those roaches become tameable. I couldn't eat and use that pet at the same time, but I still want one >_<

Oh the one in the database that is a sandreaver model?

I haven't come across that one, but I did check a couple of older sandreavers and neither is tameable yet. No python mode snakes I've seen so far have been listed as tameable yet either. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything as it's early Alpha (I keep repeating that like a mantra, don't I? )

I've started checking out Pandaria beasts that were previously too high to tame and updating their status in the OP. Anything marked with a green "TAMEABLE" flag has definitely been tamed now. I still have a bunch to go, but of interest:
- Cracklefang loses his sword on taming. It's not really unexpected, but people have wondered this for ages
- Monstrous Spineclaw has been elusive, but I can't wait to test this one. Love the colour
- it really does look like the three quilen bosses in Mogu'shan Vaults will be tameable, but they're still saying too high level for me at 92. 92 is apparently the max. level we can reach right now and I'm not sure what the true level of those bosses is. The trash before them (grey stone quilen) is def. tameable.
- watching a towering Primal Devilsaur rush towards you and suddenly be a meek and tiny tamed one is hilarious to experience

Also, finally managed to find and tame Trigore outside Wailing Caverns, literally 4-5 seconds before the server rebooted. So the last "normal" old hydra has been confirmed. Spirit of Atha check will have to wait until one of us can do the Oracles quests so we can summon it. Chimaeron will depend on whether the raid has been adjusted for the stat squish or is currently lethal, we haven't checked yet.

MoP bosses should be level 93

[SpiritBinder]

At the moment Blackwing Decent has also not been tuned down/adjusted to match the current alpha character stat "Squish".... which in turn means it you even try trash in there... you end up *Squish*.
Even a medium sized group would struggle so I'm gonna leave Chimeron until a later build, but will keep a close eye on it.

[Wain]

MoP bosses should be level 93

Oh thank you As soon as I can get another level I can try again. Thank god they're the first bosses and I can sneak past the trash

Whatever this is.

I want to send it at my enemies and cackle. It's so horrifying it's almost adorable.

There's one of this guy in Tanaris: Sarinexx. Sadly still not tameable.

This is an old novel idea, why can't Pterrorwings become the new exotic beast family instead of Rylak? Wain, can you suggest that to the dev?

He'll probably eventually see your suggestion here. He's a busy guy and not big on PM these days, so for the most part I've stopped doing that so I'm trying not to be a spammy pain the arse, but you can reach him directly on Twitter if you like https://twitter.com/Muffinus

But one other thing: I suspect they feel an obligation, or at least have a very strong desire, to only add new families if they're relevant to the new expansion. This is nothing that has been told to me, but something I've observed over the last couple of expacs. So unless they're going to add pterodactyls to Draenor I'd be surprised if you had much luck with that. I could well be wrong but I think you might have better reception if you pushed for a family that's going to be found in the new world.

[Qraljar]

MoP bosses should be level 93

Oh thank you As soon as I can get another level I can try again. Thank god they're the first bosses and I can sneak past the trash

Whatever this is.

I want to send it at my enemies and cackle. It's so horrifying it's almost adorable.

There's one of this guy in Tanaris: Sarinexx. Sadly still not tameable.

This is an old novel idea, why can't Pterrorwings become the new exotic beast family instead of Rylak? Wain, can you suggest that to the dev?

He'll probably eventually see your suggestion here. He's not big on PM responses these days, so for the most part I've stopped contacting him that way, but you can hassle him directly on Twitter if you like https://twitter.com/Muffinus

But one other thing: I suspect they feel an obligation, or at least have a very strong desire, to only add new families if they're relevant to the new expansion. This is nothing that has been told to me, but something I've observed over the last couple of expacs. So unless they're going to add pterodactyls to Draenor I'd be surprised if you had much luck with that. I could well be wrong but I think you might have better reception if you pushed for a family that's going to be found in the new world.

Well, they do make some old world families tameable now and then. Like Silithids (I was so happy back then), I guess worms too (but not sure in that case.), Chimaeras, Core Hounds, Moths and Devilsaurs in WoTLK. Actually, WoTLK only had one new family, it seems. All of those creatures were involved in WoTLK to some extent, except for Chimaeras, Core Hounds and Silithids. But none of them were introduced in WoTLK except for Rhinos.


Then in Cataclysm.. I dunno. Dogs could be new. I think I'll count them as new, as there are still a few differences between them and Worms. Both already existed, though. In WoTLK, worms were made tameable because of Jormungar, but we already had the old world ones. Here, we already had demon dogs, but they're much less.. typically doggy, so I'll count it as a new family, I suppose.


Foxes, monkeys, and shale spiders are new, too. Beetles weren't new.



MoP had.. Basilisks as an old family. That's it, I think. Water Striders have Fen Striders, but like dogs, they just seemed like an afterthought variation that isn't super similar to the main species. Whereas Jormungar were obvious Worms.


Quilen, Direhorns, Porcupines and Goats are new. So are Cranes. Cranes actually feel like MoP's Rylaks. A model that could have easily fit in with the Tallstrider family, but needed a new one for some arbitrary reason. Something that feels especially strange when you have Fen Striders (very different from Water Striders) and the new Ravagers (also very different from the Ravagers we know) in the Water Strider and Ravager families.


TBC had all-new pets. No old family in it.



So in conclusion, I don't think there is any pattern, any rule to it. There isn't a "only x amount of old families per expansion" rule. It's basically whatever they think feels good. For that reason, Pterodactyls, Kunchong, Sand Reavers, etc. could make it into WoD.

[Wain]

I'm not saying it's a long-standing rule. Or even a hard and fast rule. And while I've never been told, I've been privvy to enough conversations to get the feeling that it's what they aim for now. Things have changed a lot since BC. I think their business model has too.

[Qraljar]

I'm not saying it's a long-standing rule. Or even a hard and fast rule. But while I've never been told, I've been privvy to enough conversations to get a feeling that it's what they try to do these days. Things have changed a lot since BC. I think their business model has too.

That sounds a bit silly, but it makes sense in the way that it coincides with what we've seen so far. It feels like that may be the reason we only get 3 new families, with one blatantly being a Chimera variation. When they could give us lots of families that a lot of people want.

[Wain]

Look, I could be totally wrong with ALL of this, but my suspicion is they may need to justify what they're working on in terms of the main goals. So if someone starts spending their time on making say, kodos, into a pet they may have awkward questions to answer on why aren't hurrying up with the next patch goal. Purely my guess.

I know I keep saying that "guess" thing. I'm just worried people will think I actually have been told something when I have not. I don't want my suspicions to be mistaken for info from inside Blizzard